Tiger Guards

Chapter 735 Duke Zhuang's Old Plan
Following Yuan Shao, various counties in Youzhou successively learned of Grand Tutor Zhao's return to Jinyang.

Not only were messages being relayed from Jinyang to Youzhou, but Xianyu Fu, as one of the ten generals who were going to conquer Liaodong, was also worried that the officials and powerful families in his hometown would make the wrong choice.

Yuan Shao actually learned of this one day earlier than Zhuojun and Guangyangjun on the north bank of the Yi River.

The news of Zhao Ji's return to Jinyang spread like a battle proclamation, radiating eastward through Yanmen, Daijun, Shanggu, and Yuyang prefectures to all parts of Youzhou.

Even in Shangdang County, a sparsely populated area in the Taihang Mountains, the news was spreading rapidly. The news actually reached Changshan, Zhao, and Zhongshan even earlier, but there was a lack of written evidence from important figures.

Thus, the news of Zhao Ji's northward journey to Jinyang first spread from Shangdang County to Zhongshan State, and then to Shanggu, Yuyang, and Zhuo County in the northeast; the news that followed from Dai County served as a secondary confirmation.

The various counties and powerful families in Youzhou, who had already been ambiguous about their attitude towards Yuan Shao, suddenly became indifferent.

Although it wouldn't be so cold as to send troops to rescue Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao was no longer able to purchase horses, grain, leather, and the like from Youzhou through smuggling.

The vast counties, cities, and fortified villages of Youzhou on the north bank of the Yi River remained silent and watched the battle for nearly half a year.

After the farming season ended, they were all eager to get started, waiting for Zhao Ji's order to send troops.

Of course, it's normal to smuggle some things for Yuan Shao while waiting.

From another perspective, the more supplies Yuan Shao buys from Youzhou, the less material can be transported from the heart of Jizhou, meaning Jizhou will have more abundant material reserves!

Anyway, during the period when Gongsun Zan was besieged, the powerful families of Youzhou, out of fear of Zhao Ji, engaged in some petty theft and small-scale business.

Now, this small business has come to an abrupt end... and they are attacking, raiding, and robbing Yuan Shao's caravans.

In this atmosphere, some people inevitably acted more aggressively, and inadvertently pierced Yuan Shao's lungs.

On the south bank of the Yi River, Yuan Shao stationed his troops in a newly built city. According to the principle of naming places, this city, which faces Yijing across the water, was named Yiyin.

The two cities north of Yijing are called Jingke City in the northwest corner and Yiyang City in the northeast corner.

Inside Yiyin City, Yuan Shao, enraged, suddenly drew his sword and swung it horizontally across a pillar in the corridor.

"Wang Song has gone too far in bullying me!"

With gritted teeth, Yuan Shao tried to draw his sword, only to find it deeply embedded in the still-damp pillar, the hilt remaining firmly in place. He then quietly released his grip, glaring at Yan Liang and Wen Chou who were following behind him.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou stepped forward simultaneously, cupped their hands, and knelt on one knee, saying, "Wang Song is impolite. This humble general requests to fight!"

Wang Song was a powerful figure in Yuyang. Unlike other powerful figures, Wang Song controlled Yongnu City and had great influence over Quanzhou in the south. Basically, Wang Song was in charge of the entire southern part of Yuyang County.

Wang Song also wields considerable influence in Youzhou's maritime trade circles.

Yuan Shao was furious. The counties and prefectures of Youzhou never really recognized the legitimacy of Xuchang, believing that the emperor was being held hostage by treacherous officials.

Therefore, they did not recognize Yuan Shao's orders, nor did they recognize the imperial edict and insignia of Liu Song, the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

Not only did Yuan Shao have to buy things secretly to avoid inspections by the prefectures and counties, but he also had to secretly transport the warhorses he traded armor and weapons with from the Wuhuan people of the three prefectures and the Xianbei people of Liaodong.

Yuan Shao was naturally unwilling to be extorted for no reason, so he borrowed naval forces and navigational talents from his adopted son Sun Ce and began to transport warhorses and military equipment from Liaodong.

As a result, while resting at Quanzhou Port, Wang Song led his troops in a surprise attack and seized all two thousand warhorses transported on this mission.

Yuan Shao could afford the loss of so many warhorses, but he couldn't afford to lose this transport fleet, much less such a huge loss of face. Wang Song's troops and guests numbered only about three thousand, and even including his peripheral subordinate forces, they barely amounted to ten thousand.

Someone of this caliber dares to provoke him!
Yuan Shao was furious and about to give the order when Ju Shou strode over, raised his hand, and whispered, "My lord, you mustn't!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao turned to stare at Ju Shou. Ju Shou, panting, approached and earnestly advised, "My lord, Wang Song's attack at this crucial moment is an attempt to divide your forces. Generals Yan and Wen are our top generals in Hebei, both renowned for their bravery. Now, the Zhao bandits are about to invade, and they have even sent a general with elite troops eastward. Before we even engage the Zhao bandits, our army will be divided, which will be detrimental to the great battle."

Yan Liang and Wen An spoke out, and their indignant expressions softened by a third.

Yuan Shao's brows furrowed, and he angrily questioned, "Are you just going to ignore it? If Bo Fu asks about his old friends, am I supposed to say that he was kidnapped by bandits?"

If there are Sun Ce's men in the transport fleet, it will be a disgrace to his adopted son, Sun Ce.

Ju Shou then said, "We can send envoys to persuade Wang Song to return our ships and personnel."

Seeing that Yuan Shao remained silent, Ju Shou further explained: "Wang Song is an arrogant and domineering man who has never had any long-term plans. His sudden attack must be due to the efforts of his advisors, who intend to use Wang Song to gain favor with the Zhao traitor. Your Excellency's prestige is known throughout the land, and the outcome of the battle with the Zhao traitor is still undecided. Gongsun Zan has been besieged for nearly half a year. A fool like Wang Song is bound to be fickle and worried about the Zhao traitor's defeat."

Yuan Shao, still somewhat embarrassed, said, "Since he has turned against me, how could he let his ships run rampant? When our envoy arrives there and sees that I need his help, he will inevitably become arrogant and look down on me."

"Your Excellency's concerns are reasonable. In my opinion, if we ask the people of Yuyang to mediate, would it be acceptable to only request the boats? The lost horses have likely been distributed among Wang Song's troops and are unlikely to be returned. If we successfully besiege Gongsun Zan or repel the Zhao bandits, the lowly Wang Song will naturally drive his horses to apologize. Why should Your Excellency get angry or argue with such opportunistic villains?"

"Ah."

Yuan Shao, with a composed demeanor, also felt that what Ju Shou said made some sense. So he suppressed his anger and sighed, "Now the two traitors Lü and Zhao are no less harmful than Dong Zhuo. I really shouldn't have abandoned the national traitors and gone to send troops to punish some petty horse thieves."

Having said all that, Yuan Shao no longer put on airs and waved his hand to Yan Liang and Wen Chou, saying, "Generals, please rise."

"Here."

Yan Liang and Wen Chou stood up, their armor rustling as they looked at each other. Their expressions were solemn, and neither of them showed any emotion.

Yuan Shao also observed this and stepped forward to help Ju Shou, who was bowing respectfully, saying, "Now the powerful clans of Youzhou fear the might of the Zhao bandits. Our army is unable to rush into Dai County to set up defenses, let alone block the roads. Are we really going to gather our troops on both banks of the Yi River and fight the Zhao bandits to the death?"

Ju Shou glanced back at Yan Liang and Wen Chou, but the two ignored him.

Yuan Shao also looked at the two men, who silently bowed, took a few steps back, and left.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Ju Shou extended his arm in invitation, and walked with Yuan Shao inside the city's granary, calmly stating his views: "The Zhao family is now powerful and controls one-third of the world. This is not something that a single army from Hebei can contend with. I wonder if Your Excellency agrees?"

With no one else around, Yuan Shao was relaxed: "So what if he does? Are we just going to sit idly by and watch him relieve the siege of Yijing?"

"May I ask you, my lord, what would happen if the officials and powerful clans of Youzhou surrendered and cooperated with our army to set up defenses in Dai County?"

Ju Shou then posed a third question: "The transport of grain from Zhongshan to Dai County is more than a thousand miles long. The mountain roads are rugged and unpredictable. What will happen if our troops in Dai County are cut off from their retreat?"

Yuan Shao frowned: "Since that's the case, we can't just stand by and watch the Zhao family take over Youzhou, can we?"

“My lord, the Zhao family has always been greedy and tyrannical, and they do not care about the difficulties of the people in managing their households. The people of Youzhou are afraid of their power, so they dare not rebel. If the Zhao family gets Youzhou, the powerful families of Youzhou, having experienced their rule, will surely be determined to resist and fight them to the death.”

After Ju Shou finished speaking, Yuan Shao understood: "This is Zhuang Gong's old plan."

(End of this chapter)